Phones!

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1784400]

Comments

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what any of that means. My mobile cost £2.95 at the Carphone Warehouse. Decided to go cheap when I dropped the previous one down the toilet. :-)

[andrewducker]

In that case I'd answer "I don't want an iPhone no matter what", "SEWIWEIC" and then leave a comment telling me you got a non-smartphone for £2.95.

Which is damned impressive. Is that on contract, or was it a one-off?

[nameandnature]

I like Giffgaff: their £10 goodybag thing includes actually unlimited data (but no tethering: they want you to use it from a phone).

[andrewducker]

Not looked at GiffGaff. What do they do?

[yalovetz]

I have a Blackberry. It's a review model I got given for free. All mobiles seem pretty much the same to me, so I just use whichever falls into my hands for free or cheap.

[andrewducker]

Dammit, I really should have remembered Blackberry!

[lebeautemps.livejournal.com]

I have a basic nokia. It makes calls, txts and can go on internet but I'm not bothered about the net bit. If I could reduce it to £3 a month without net, I would.

[undeadbydawn.livejournal.com]

this is tricky.

I have a 3G, which has served me well for a long time [far longer than any previous phone]
I was going to get a 4 a while back, but for various reasons did not. The biggest problem with the 4 is I don't like the physical design. It doesn't feel right.

So I was hoping really badly that the 5 would arrive with a form factor similar to the 3GS. Many mock ups I saw were a total delight. Instant buy level.

Now. Apple doesn't release stuff if they don't think it's ready. It's entirely possible that they do have that model somewhere, and the tech just isn't primed yet
[it's widely acknowledged that the iPad existed for at least a year before the original iPhone].

So. I need a new phone. Like, seriously *need* one. my 3G has taken all it can and is only just usable now - the earpiece isn't too hot so I have to use speakerphone. That's partly cos it's taken years of abuse in my pocket as a constant all-weather cyclist, and partly cos a stupid O2 guy dropped it and broke the case.

If the 5 had arrived I'd buy it without hesitation. I now have to decide whether to go for the 4S or.. well, something else. I'm completely happy with iOS and all that, so there's no plan to look elsewhere.

but Goddamnit Apple, I wanted an iPhone 5. You bastards.

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

I think the 4S looks like rather a nice upgrade from the 4, and the change from 3G to 4 was the most spectacular computer upgrade of any kind I have ever had in my entire life. So I'd encourage you to consider a 4S.

You could get the 3GS, now very cheap indeed, or the original 4, while waiting for the 5. And plan to sell them on when the iPhone 5 is released.

My original iPhone is still going strong (my daughter uses it as a iPod touch), and my previous phone (3G, which my son uses as an iPod touch). This amazes me, given my previous history with both phones and PDAs.

[pete stevens (from livejournal.com)]

I have a Nokia N900 running Maemo, the linux OS they canned in favour of Windows. I also have an iPad but if I want to do something non frivolous I tend to put the iPad down and use the N900 because it's just better.

If someone could figure out how to install Maemo/Meego on my iPad it'd be a dramatic improvement on iOS.

[and fuck Apple and their belief that iPad and iPhone shouldn't have definite articles].

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Huh; you don't seem to have 'I've got a perfectly servicable iPhone 4 and am not going to upgrade to a 4S; I'll wait for the next major release'.

[recycled-sales.livejournal.com]

This

[recycled-sales.livejournal.com]

I wasn't that impressed, but there's one other factor that'd increase my chance of getting a 4S (or preferably a 5) - ecosystem lock-in.

I have money invested into a platform, with several applications bought for my iPad & iPhone. If a decent phone showed up for another OS, it would not only need to be many orders of magnitude better than the iPhone 4 I have, it would also need to have a low cost for acquiring the same applications I already have. Indeed most of the software I use doesn't have direct analogues on other platforms.

Right now my iP4 does everything I want. The 4S is not enough of a jump to merit my upgrading.

[andrewducker]

I'm intrigued by the applications that don't have direct analogues?

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

My android phone is less than a year old, so won't be replacing it for quite a while.

And disappointed by the 4S anyway. I was expecting a small size. And I am put off by the mysterious 'S' which AFAICT is unexplained.

When your phone 'runs out'?

[andrewducker]

of contract. And thus I can get a new phone for the same monthly payments I am currently making.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Well, my current phone is a two year old 3GS, which I'm more than happy with; the integration with OS X is good, especially on iOS5, so things play together nicely. I have a stable set of apps that I use on a daily basis (and don't want to repurchase for a different platform).

I didn't upgrade to the 4 when that came out, but I'll probably upgrade to the 4S in due course.

On the mobile operator question, most seem to be equally shoddy. I'm with EE at present, having switched form Orange to T-Mobile and back in the past decade. O2 has the slight advantage (for iPhone users) of supporting visual voicemail, but not a lot else.

[dommy-nick.livejournal.com]

What is SEWIWEIC anyway?

[strawberryfrog.livejournal.com]

The best mobile operator in the UK is I don't know, I have never found any of them to be very good.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

I have a Sony Xperia Arc (v.nice, fab camera but the button to actually take a picture is far too stiff!). Bought outright (160) on T-Mobile calls/texts etc on cheapo deal £18 + £5 for unlimited net (supposedly no tethering, but I haven't tried).

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

All mobile operators seem to be equivalently middling, and I've managed to have phones with all of them at some point. I would still be with three if they had any signal at all in my house, but they don't so I switched to EE.

I'm not terribly interested in an iphone, but since I have another 12 months on my contract I'm not thinking about an upgrade yet. I like my HTC Desire just fine.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

The first question needs an option for "I am so uninterested in iPhones that I didn't know this announcement was coming up, didn't see it, and don't care."

[cobrabay.livejournal.com]

I've tried most of the mobile operators except Orange (I've never felt an affinity with any of the totem animals that represent their tariffs) and all have their faults. I've generally had the best call quality and GSM connections with Vodafone, but always had hassles with data (and they were expensive for data). My last phone was on T-Mobile, coverage was poor, data was appalling, glad to see the back of them. Now on 3. Call reception only so-so. Usually OK, but too many dead spots (though never as bad as T-Mobile, even after the Orange merger). Data tariff is very good if you are a heavy user (I am), and generally I've found 3G connectivity to be quite good.
My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S II. I love it, very clear, big screen, and fast enough for stutter-free standard def video. The battery life is fine, I use it heavily but have about 30-40% left at end of the day, and on days of light use can still have 70-80% left. Two of my colleagues have bought them too after having a brief play with mine, one replacing an iphone 3, one replacing an HTC Desire. The new iPhone 4S looks a great phone, and almost certainly better than the one I have, but switching over to the iTunes/iOS ecosystem would be too much of a hassle for me. I'm used to the mix of Windows and Linux apps I have which happily sync data to my phone, and being able to connect to any of them or charge the phone with a simple USB cable, which I'll always have one or more handy.

[andrewducker]

Thanks for that - very informative.

[lpetrazickis.livejournal.com]

I have a Blackberry Bold that I've been very happy with, but I wouldn't mind picking something up that has a larger screen and a better app store. That might be a Blackberry Torch, or it might be an iPhone or a Nexus or somesuch.

The $199 price point in the iPhone 4S announcement sounded good to me until I saw the fine print about it requiring a 2 year contract. How can a hardware manufacturer announce a price that assumes a contract? (I know how, but it's stupid.)

I've learned my lesson with contracts. Never, ever, ever again will I sign up for a cell phone contract. BTW, if anyone is reading this in Canada, I very highly recommend Wind Mobile over the Telus/Bell/Rogers cartel.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I don't use a mobile phone enough to warrant actually paying for one. Work gives me a Blackberry Curve for free, but my personal calls on it when I do my expenses are never more than a few pence.

I'm often surprised at how much money many people whom I guess earn a lot less than me must spend on phones, calls, data charges etc. If I didn't get given something, I'd probably have to go out and buy one, but I'd want something cheap for emergencies.

[andrewducker]

I don't have my phone, largely, for the actual ability to make phone calls.

It's a portable computer with global connectivity. That's what I find pretty much irreplaceable.

sewiweic

[lalajia.livejournal.com]

Blackberry Curve with Virgin mobile. Not saying they're the best operator tho!

[helen-keeble.livejournal.com]

Another option missing from the poll: "Would love to upgrade from ancient 3G, but can't justify either a contract or dropping the better part of the cost of a new laptop on a mere phone."

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

I'll be getting one. I've got a 3GS, it's just gone out of contract and I've bought a *lot* of apps over the past couple of years. I'm not willing to switch.

If I owned an iPhone 4, I wouldn't bother.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, once you're bought into an ecosystem it's very hard to leave it again, unless there are tons of free apps in the new one that do what you want.

[andlosers.livejournal.com]

After a rocky start with Android, I'm not going back to iPhone. I've got my iPad, so I'm not completely divorced from the iOS ecosystem, but Android - when it works - does so much more.

That said, I also think that the HTC Desire is bullshit. It was my second HTC phone; the first was a Windows Mobile thing that ended up crashing out spectacularly. The Desire's insanely small built-in memory hampered me from the third week I owned it, and even with a very small number of apps I still occasionally run out of drive space. With HTC's recent security issues taken into account, I will never, ever buy another one of their phones again.

I'm waiting on the new Nexus announcement. If that's good, I'll get one; otherwise, it'll be a Galaxy S2.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, the lack of space on the Desire had crippled me too. I'm looking forward to the Prime - I fancy a phone that's not got any manufacturer overlay on it.

[laplor.livejournal.com]

I'm in Canada. I have my second phone ever - a Samsung Link on a pay as you go plan with Virgin. It was purchased for around $60 (I think) and costs me about $3 to $5 per month. It does everything I need and more.

The phone before that was replaced after about 5 years and one dunking in a bucket of water four years ago.

My spouse loves his Blackberry, and I may eventually end up with one of those, but I'm not in any hurry.

[cheekbones3.livejournal.com]

My phone is an Alcatel one that cost me a tenner cos it was an end-of-line model. How does one find out the OS of a phone if it's just a phone? Until a smart phone costs less than a fiver a month, I won't be having one, I can cope without the web for a few hours.

[cheekbones3.livejournal.com]

Also, I've never used another company apart from Vodafone, so I've no idea who's best, nor if I had payg with another one how I'd judge, since I barely send more than a few texts in a busy week.

[martling.livejournal.com]

I didn't tick the 'Google Android' box because my phone runs an Android ROM with no Google stuff.

[andrewducker]

No Marketplace or Gmail or anything like that?

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

Nobody has any f*cking idea what the market will be like next January.
You'll have to guess at interpolation between the after Christmas sales and the most imminent releases.